Main menu

About Thomas Weber

Profile:

Thomas is a registered architect with over 15 years of accomplished professional experience in a variety of building types and construction classifications focusing on comprehensive service for discriminating clients. After accomplishing a bachelor’s degree in architecture at the University of Arkansas, Tom started his career working as an intern architect in Santa Fe, New Mexico. While working in Santa Fe, Tom learned to balance the often delicate relationship between strong regional architecture and modern requirements and techniques. Emphasizing detail, scale, and mass, the southwestern design approach became the foundation of Tom’s professional experience. After achieving well rounded experience in residential, commercial and light industrial design and construction, Tom accepted a position in Vail, Colorado that concentrated primarily on speculative and custom residential work. It was here that Tom learned the importance of a design approach and site response. Careful attention to views, function, and aesthetic would be required in the small mountain town that closely controls development. In 1996, Thomas was appointed by the Vail City Council to the Planning Commission. After serving multiple terms, Tom gained valuable experience in city government, permitting and zoning. Tom also participated on the Design Review Board and special task force committees that helped shape the framework for what would become a massive re-development and re-shaping of the town center. Working on many challenging and successful projects, one custom house he was associated with would eventually be published in Architectural Digest (Nov. 08). Changes in the economy and the addition of a daughter made it necessary that Tom move his family finally back to Dallas, where he grew up. Here, Tom continues his dedication to detail and design with every project.

Approach:

Tom’s design approach always begins with carefully listening to his clients desires. Particularly with custom residential architecture, it is important to really understand how the client lives. Every client is very different with regard to use, need, and expectation. A comprehensive design program is developed by merging client needs with associated external forces. These forces can be regulatory code issues, standards in construction, site constraints, etc. With the program in place, Thomas shapes every project with a very focused and careful approach to design aesthetic, proportion, and scale. These are essential ingredients to all architecture that balances the relationship between human and the built environment. Without these ingredients, architecture becomes detached from man, pointless and wasteful. Tom understands the essential need for aesthetics and gives equal importance to the tapestry of architectural style. Traditional, modern, eclectic, and classical styles all serve the same purpose of defining and communicating the architectural intent.

Process and Delivery:

The design process often employs a variety of tools and mediums. Every project is different and so every process is different. Some clients respond to more easily character sketches while others need more exact and accurate visualization. Tom relies heavily on the importance of communicating with hand sketches and drawings. It is an indispensable communication tool that is often lost in the tech heavy industry. Tom is also considered an expert in utilizing the latest computer aided drafting programs such as Autodesk AutoCad. Computer generated 3-D solid modeling and visualization, construction drawing management and accurate material take-offs are utilized on every project to one degree or another. Advances in architecture specific software continue to push the limits of accuracy, economy of time, and delivery. But even with these advances, Tom understands the importance of balancing computer specific tasks with the limitless design ability of human creativity.

High Performance (Green) Architecture:

With today’s emphasis on energy efficient design, Thomas guides his clients through the exponentially expanding market of products and systems. Although high performance design is not new to the architecture profession, clients and homeowners are becoming increasingly aware of this “green” approach. As an accredited LEED-AP, Tom is constantly educating himself with building materials and systems that are available, feasible, and proven. Every project designed by Thomas is given considerable thought to energy, environment, and climate. With energy prices continuing to rise, investments in these “green” systems are becoming more feasible.

Services:

Thomas offers a wide range of client inclusive, unsurpassed professional architectural services. These services are generally custom tailored to each client. An excellent resource for the architectural profession is the American Institute of Architects http://www.aia.org/value/index.htm. Ultimately, Tom acts as owner’s representative with regard to design, construction documents and construction. For custom residential projects, Tom prefers to work closely with the contractor and owner, organizing project meetings, setting expectations and goals, as well as working with subcontractors and craftsmen. The design and construction process is fluid and there is no set way to accomplish a successful project. There is, however, a base set of services that Tom requires for quality assurance to maintain his professional license. Contact Tom regarding your project needs.